WrestleMania: The Streak Continues

Shawn Michaels just didn't look like himself as walked down the ramp to his match at WrestleMania last night. He'd go from a serious, "I mean business" walk into a little hopping, dancing walk. That's was when I knew we were watching Michaels walk down that ramp for the last time, for the time being at least.

Backstage, after the match, Michaels said, "It's time for me to be a husband and a daddy." But, he added, he would always be around.

As I said the other day, it's much easier to come out of retirement than to repair a broken streak. And, for Michaels, as we've seen in the past, it's hard for him to stay away from the ring. He may come back as a manager of some sort, as Ric Flair did last year, for a brief period of time. Perhaps he'll guest host Raw. Maybe there will even be a brief DX reunion. However, after Raw tonight (at which I'm assuming he'll make a farewell appearance) don't expect to see him until the end of August, at the very least.

For those of you who don't believe me, look at Ric Flair, whose career HBK "ended" two years ago...

Other results from last night include:- (Dark) Yoshi Tatsu wins 26-Man Battle Royal- The Miz/Big Show retain Unified Tag Team Championship (this match was only about 4 minutes long)- Randy Orton defeats Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes (DiBiase pinned)- Jack Swagger wins Money In The Bank Ladder Match- Triple H defeats Sheamus- Rey Mysterio defeats CM Punk- Bret Hart defeats Vince McMahon (the match became a Lumberjack Match, with all the Harts there -including the Hart Dynasty- as lumberjacks paid by McMahon to help him. However, the Harts double-crossed McMahon, and the Chairman spent most of the match outside of the ring getting beaten up by various Harts, including an outstanding move by Tyson Kidd jumping off the top rope onto McMahon, who was being held by DH Smith)- Chris Jericho retains the World Heavyweight Championship- Vicki Guerrero, Michelle McCool, Layla, Maryse and Alicia Fox win 10-Diva Tag Match (Vicki pinned Kelly Kelly- this was actually one the most entertaining matches of the night not including Michaels and Taker...)- John Cena wins the WWE Championship

WrestleMania: Vengeance

On the morning of Nov. 9, 1997, Bret Hart woke up not knowing how important that day would play in the rest of his life, or in the lives of wrestling fans every where. He was the WWF Champion and competing in Survivor Series against Shawn Michaels that night. Just days before, he had signed a contract with WCW, at the urging of Vince McMahon, and would be starting work with the new company Dec. 5. It was planned the match that night, his last Pay-Per-View for the company he had been with for 14 years, would end in a way so he wouldn't have to lose the title in Canada, even though McMahon made it clear he wanted that title out of Hart's hands as soon as possible.

That night, Bret Hart was screwed.

Tomorrow night, Hart will finally seek vengeance. And, I believe Hart was right when he said "Vince screwed Vince," after the contract signing. Vince has either wrestled or managed wrestlers in five WrestleManias since that night, which is when the "Mr. McMahon" character was being created. Vince has lost every single time. He has lost to Stephanie (via Triple H in 2000), Shane (2001), Hulk Hogan (2003), Shawn Michaels (2006) and to Donald Trump (via Bobby Lashley, 2007). Tomorrow night, Bret Hart will make it to that list. (By the way, this is a No Holds Barred match. Even though this kind of stuff doesn't happen often at WrestleManias, I think the Hart Dynasty may have a part...)

And finally, the match which should have been the finale of WrestleMania last year, Undertaker v. Shawn Michaels, will get an encore. I'm not sure if these two can top what they did last year, but if they do, it will be worth the $55 (wasn't it just $39 a couple of years ago?) to watch it. I went through last year how equal these guys are in age, experience, wins, etc., so I won't go through that again this year. (It's all archived, in case you missed it... look to the right side of your screen...) Because of the stipulations, I have one thing to tell you. Career threatening matches mean nothing. You can always come back. However, once a streak has ended, it's done. Michaels will lose again, but he will be back again.

WrestleMania: The Title Matches

Matches for the title belts last year were a downer because the best match was before them, and the same may happen this year. However, there is hope...

John Cena thought for maybe 30 seconds he was going to WrestleMania as the WWE Champion. Then, Bastista was ushered out to the ring for a title match. So, who will be leaving what I think should be the first main event as WWE Champion? Well, I have two answers. John Cena will win the match because, well, Batista is right about the way Cena is treated in the company. When Cena is not the champ going into WrestleMania, he comes home with belt.

But, I think there may be a twist... just like Cena was screwed at the Elimination Chamber, I think he'll be screwed again, this time with Drew McIntyre, fresh from his loss in the Money In the Bank, getting yet another chance from the Chairman. Now, I didn't say he'd win, just that he may get a chance...

The finale needs to Chris Jericho and Edge because I think they have the potential to give us a match worthy of following the matches before it. The former tag team champions are high flying risk takers (both have competed in MITB, Jericho twice, Edge three times) and can play up the "I know everything about you" card to make it more interesting. I believe Edge will win because the odds are with him as the Royal Rumble winner.

WrestleMania: The Teams That Were

At this time last year, The Miz and John Morrison were World Tag Team Champions and Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes were loyal minions, I mean, proteges of Randy Orton. What a difference a year makes...

The Miz smartly teamed up with Big Show, became Unified Tag Champs and is facing Morrison and his newly found partner, R-Truth, at WrestleMania. Miz and Morrison, after being teammates for about a year and a half, parted ways in April when the Miz felt Morrison was getting in his way. See, it was Morrison who was pinned at WrestleMania, causing them to lose the belts, and it was Morrison who caused The Miz to lose a match during the draft episode of Raw.

Since then, both Miz and Morrison have seen gold in the US Championship and Intercontinental Championship, respectively. Big Show was tag champ with Chris Jericho over the past year, and, well, last time R-Truth held a belt (Hardcore Championship), his name was K-Kwik.

I think R-Truth will get his hands on the belts and Morrison will be the victor this year because, at least if the draft doesn't mess things up, the belts will work better with the talent on Smackdown. (Yes, I know being tag champs means you can be either show.) Also, the last time The Big Show won at WrestleMania was 2006 when he was teamed up with Kane as World Tag Champs.

Unlike the team of Miz and Morrison, The Legacy was built on a rocky foundation. If you remember, Rhodes first teamed with DiBiase in 2008 as DiBiase's surprise partner in a match against Rhodes and his partner/mentor Hardcore Holly, thus putting Holly at a disadvantage. By the end of 2008, through criticism, Orton took the second- and third-generation stars under his wing, forming The Legacy. (At first, DiBiase was literally kicked out of the group, but once filming completed on The Marine 2, he was back helping Orton and Rhodes betray members Sim Snuka and Manu.)

The two basically followed orders barked by Orton, continuously having to prove themselves worthy to carry on their families' wrestling traditions. Then, on July 6, the original Ted DiBiase, The Million Dollar Man, hosted Raw. He told his son he didn't believe he should be following Orton, and that he was going to prove it by defeating Orton that night. Orton had a different view, telling the younger DiBiase he could never beat him, and for that night at least, Orton proved he was mightier. Fast forward to the Elimination Chamber just last month- DiBiase (with help from Rhodes) eliminated Orton.

Since this spilt, amazingly, Orton has become the fan favorite. This makes the outcome tricky, but I think DiBiase and Rhodes will end up overpowering their leader. I think this will make for a better storyline, especially if Orton pulls two new Legacy members from FCW, like Joe Hennig and Brett DiBiase... (hey, some did think it was odd Hennig wasn't selected as one of the rookies on NXT, perhaps this is why)

WrestleMania: The Leftovers

Because we have so many top healthy, they have to be included somehow at wrestling's biggest show. That's how we got Triple H v. Sheamus and CM Punk v. Rey Mysterio this year.

Let's stay positive... No JBL this year. That's who Rey faced last year. This year Rey gets CM Punk who he upset by pinning at the Elimination Chamber. If Rey loses, he doesn't have to get a new hairdo, but he will have to join the Straight Edge Society. Now, because this WrestleMania, Luke and Serena most likely will not be interfering. However, because this feud just started, I have a feeling this storyline won't have a happy ending for Rey any time soon...

We knew Triple H was getting a match at WrestleMania since he's kinda on the poster. Well, almost a month ago, he got an opponent when Sheamus decided he wanted to make his WrestleMania debut and attacked Triple H. Since becoming a McMahon, Triple H has won at WrestleMania only once (last year v. Randy Orton because his role is to help the rising stars rise higher. So, even though it pains me to say this, I believe Sheamus will walk away from his first WrestleMania with a win.

WrestleMania: Money in the Bank

Last night, Kofi Kingston defeated Vladimir Koslov for the 10th and final spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. In the first MITB match with 10 participants, Kofi will be battling Kane, Evan Bourne, MVP, Christain, Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Jack Swagger, Matt Hardy and Drew McIntyre for the suitcase suspended 20 feet above the ring.

Since the first MITB match in 2005, all winners (if you don't include Mr. Kennedy, who ended up losing his contract to Edge, and Edge ended up winning the championship when cashing in the contract) have gone on to win the championship of their choosing when they cashed in their opportunity. The main reason for this is because the winner can cash in the opportunity at ANY time, most choosing when the champ is at his weakest. The only men to hold the coveted suitcase are Edge (2005, 2007), RVD (2006), Mr. Kennedy (2007) and CM Punk (2008, 2009).

So who will be the new Superstar added to the list Sunday night?

Shelton certainly deserves it as the veteran of the match. He has competed in 4 of the 5 MITB matches. Unfortunately, Shelton's only in it because he can put on a good show. It would be nice if he got rewarded, but this is his position in the company right now, and it is a very important position.

Out of the rest, Kane, MVP, Christain and Hardy have each competed in the match twice. Kofi debuted in the match last year and Bourne, Ziggler, Swagger and McIntyre are all in it for the first time.

I think Christain deserves it the most and is the most realistic as a future champion (he has never been WWE Champ or WHW Champ, but was NWA Champ twice during his stint in TNA and held the ECW Championship twice). Christain, by the way, competed in the first MITB match, as did Kane and Shelton.

Kofi also has a chance, since he appears to be ready to be a main eventer. He is also an exciting new face, which WWE seems to be more interested in since TNA started calling them out for being stale. I would love to see Kofi catapulted, but also fear he'd end up like John Cena after a while, unless he gets a character revamp...

What?

I guess when Stone Cold said at his Hall of Fame induction that he was not going to wrestle anymore, he meant it. No stunners, just threatening looks and the attitude which made him a star.

Next week, I'll give you my annual Wrestlemania series of blogs sizing up the matches, but, until then, here are a few notes:

- Speaking of Stone Cold, did Stephanie have to dig through her basement to find that old "What?" sign to display in the general manager's office for the night?

- The ratings are in from the first battle of the new Monday Night War, and WWE won by a landslide. According to PWInsider.com, iMPACT! had 1.3 million viewers while Raw had 5 million viewers.

- Who else thought when the Beautiful People announced they had a new member that she was going to be Maria? (She wasn't, in case you missed it) The "Diva of the Year" was released from her contract with the WWE on Feb. 26. She is now pursuing a music career and her album, Seven Sins, will be available on iTunes April 13.

- At TNA's Destination X this Sunday, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman (can I call them Tweedle-drunk and Tweedle-drunker? No? Come on, I've already referred to them as Hogan's baggage... Oh, Disney won't allow it? Okay...) will fight for a TNA contract. Why do I think that even if they lose they will be back somehow...

- National Wrestling Superstars will be in Edison Friday night with Spike Dudley in a Steel Cage Match! The event is at 7:45 p.m. in the Herbert Hoover Middle School Gym and tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for children. For more infomation, visit nwswrestling.com or call 732-888-1704.

It's good to be the host?

No, kiddies, Mel Brooks is not guest hosting Raw, but Stone Cold Steve Austin is next week! In honor of the Rattlesnake's one-night return (and, of course, movie promo), let's take a look back at the guest hosts whom we wish Stone Cold was around for so he could end our misery with a Stunner...

Dennis Miller, Dec. 14, 2009: As we watched Miller host the Slammy Awards episode of Raw, we wondered how he ever made it as a comedian. Oh, yeah, and he made pretty obvious he's not that big of a wrestling fan when he introduced Triple H with the nickname "The Show."

Don Johnson and Jon Heder, Jan. 18, 2010: Actually, this night probably would have been okay if it was just Don Johnson. Jon Heder was just horrible. He made his character in "Napoleon Dynamite" look like a normal person. All this, and he attempted to wrestle, and really should have worn something to cover his pasty, scrawny chest.

Jerry Springer, Feb. 15, 2010: Because of Jerry's outrageous talk shows, the Raw Superstars decided to stage a "Secret Lives" segment. But, it was just strange and disturbing, even for Jerry Springer. With this one, I would suspect Stone Cold would give a Stunner to all the Superstars involved, start to share a beer with Jerry, then decide to stun him, too.

Criss Angel, March 8, 2010: I had never seen Criss Angel perform until Monday night, and now I'm glad I didn't waste my money to watch one of his shows. He really brought down a Raw show competing against a TNA show on Red Bull.

Which leaves me wondering, why didn't they get Stone Cold for last week? Maybe they decided they let who ever wanted to take a peek at TNA take their peek, and then make sure everyone came back to Raw the following week...

Tonight's alright for fighting

The Monday Night Wars return, again, tonight! First, the challenger has a man who is just under the age of 60 and another just over the age of 60 in a match with two guys who are about half their age. And, over in this corner, we have reigning champ with a man over the age 60 facing a guy half his age...

Really? Fifty-six year-old Hulk Hogan, 61-year-old Ric Flair, and 64-year-old Vince McMahon all stepping in the ring tonight to prove they can all still wrestle is what they are giving us? Where's Chris Jericho to help prove my point?

Now, I understand why they are all doing this. What better way is there for the men running the warring companies to start the war than to actually get in the ring and fight? At least Hogan was smart enough to make his match a tag match with Abyss on his side and AJ Styles on Flair's, so their replacement hips don't have to do all the work... McMahon chose John Cena because he knows he's smart enough not to hurt him, and because McMahon can always get Batista to come out and interfere...

Of course, TNA has a few more aces up its sleeve. As leaked by Spike TV last week, RVD will be making his debut tonight. Rumor has it, since RVD said he wanted his buddy to come to TNA with him, Sabu will be returning to TNA tonight. There may also be a few other new (and old) faces appearing tonight, and, of course, my favorite rumor is Paul Heyman...

Oh, yeah, and TNA says "it" is happening in the first five minutes. Take your pick on what "it" is.

Visit my Facebook page at about 9 p.m. to get updates on the two shows tonight... I'll do a TNA status and a WWE status and just comment on each so I don't clog up your home pages with a bunch of statuses.

About Me

The Red Mask is a wrestling expert from parts unknown. He lurks under the ring and in the rafters to find news and extras fans want to know. He has been known to put his foes in the anaconda vice to finish them off, and his true identity remains a mystery to this day in the tradition of the great Mexican luchadores.
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